I am writing this review based on a sleep study that I had on the night of July 27, 2018.
This is a very difficult review to write. I want to review the business itself, and not the test - however, since the test is a "service" offered by the business, I think it's necessary to review both.
If you are reading this, chances are that you have a sleep study scheduled here. I read some of these yelp reviews before my appointment, and they were helpful. I will try to make my review(s) helpful as well.
First, let's start with Valley Sleep Center and their staff. I found the scheduling department to be very professional, but a little persistent, almost to the point of being "aggressive" when it came to scheduling my appointment. If you are unable to call them back right away, be prepared for LOTS of messages on your phone. This could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. When I arrived the night of my study, I was greeted by very friendly staff. Toby was my technologist, and he was extremely courteous, kind, and professional. He has the right personality for someone in the healthcare field. Five stars for Toby!
The room was clean, and the bathroom was very nice as well. The only strange thing I noticed was that the headboard of the bed was supported by two cinder blocks! Not sure if they are cheap, or if this is some kind of modern industrial-themed decor they've got going on. Sorry, Valley Sleep, but It stood out and detracted from the room.
Now to review the sleep study, itself! Please understand that my review is based on MY experience, and that you may or may not have the same experience.....For your sake, I hope you don't!
The sleep study was absolute misery. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I would rather have back-to-back root canals, then have another sleep study. No way, no how, no thank you! The wires and sensors weren't bad, and I actually got used to them after a while. It took a couple of hours, but eventually I nodded off. I didn't feel like I had actually slept, but Toby came in about 1:30, and said I had slept for about 2 hours. This is when things got bad. He indicated I needed to try cpap, which I had never done before. The first mask we tried just went under my nose - I lasted about 2 minutes before I was begging him to remove it. The second mask I managed to keep on for an hour or so, but I did NOT sleep. Cpap is very uncomfortable and awkward. I felt confined, constricted, claustrophobic, and suffocated. I have a medical background, and can attest to the FACT that a large percentage of cpap users take months, and even up to a year or more, to be able to fall asleep with a cpap device in place. I feel that the test expectations were not appropriate. I don't think it is reasonable to expect that someone in an unfamiliar test environment will fall asleep their first time on cpap. This is a sleep study, not a "keep you up all night and make you miserable" study. Sadly, that's just what happened. I did not sleep from 1:30 on. Two hours of sleep (maybe), and then I had to get into my vehicle and drive home - exhausted. Very dangerous!
I'd also like to add that the environment was a bit noisy - it is very similar to a hospital setting. Throughout the night, I heard staff and patients communicating, the microwave oven opening, closing, and running, and I was also distracted by another patients very noisy breathing machine.
If you have a sleep study scheduled here, go in with an open mind, but be prepared to be kept awake. If you live far away, DO NOT drive yourself - driving while sleep deprived is MUCH more dangerous than driving drunk! Good luck! read more